Clock



.Feb.27,1962

Filed Aug. 15, 1958 H. B. GROW 3,022,626

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

' Harlow B. Grow Z/MQMZ ATTOEA/E Y Feb. 27, 1962 GROW I 3,022,626

' CLOCK Filed Aug. 15, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Her/0w B Grow La/6W ATTOQNEY 3,022,626 CLOCK Harlow B. Grow, 16530 Chattanooga Place, Pacific Palisades, Calif. Filed Aug. 15, 1958, Ser. No. 755,282 7 Claims. (Cl. 58-5tl) This invention relates to clocks, and has for its principal objects to provide a simplified clock mechanism and to facilitate reading of the time at a distance and particularly clocks having dials of large diameter.

For example, simplified clocks as heretofore constructed were usually equipped with a single hand, and time was determined by noting the position of the single hand between the hour and the following hour on the dial. If the hand pointed directly at the 2 marking on the dial, the time was 2 oclock, or if the hand pointed to a midway position between the 2 and 3 marks on the dial, the time was 2:30, and so on around the face of the dial. But such clocks are difficult to read, particularly at a distance, because there is no other hand with which the position of the single hand can be compared. Conventional clocks with hour and minute hands may also be difficult to read in some circumstances, for example, at a distance or in poor light, when 1:10 might be mistaken for 2:05, and the like.

In overcoming these difficulties, the present invention contemplates a clock having two hands, wherein the hands are so moved that they have reference portions thereof superimposed each hour on the hour, and one hand, termed the index hand, remains stationary while the other hand is advancing to bring the reference portion thereof toward the next hour, to indicate the fraction of an hour elapsed between on hour positions. For example, on the hour of 12 oclock, the reference portions of the hands are directly superimposed, and means is provided for detaining the index hand with the reference portion thereof at 12 oclock to indicate that the hour is 12 oclock, While the other hand moves to carry the reference point of that hand across the dial toward 1 oclock, the time after the hour being noted by the size of the segment of the dial appearing between the reference portions of the hands. When the reference portion of the moving hand has reached the 1 oclockposition, the index hand is to determine the time elapsed after the hour designated by the index hand. Thus, as the reference portion of the States Patent G f index hand notes the hour, the reference portion of the other hand indicates the fractional part of an hour that has passed from the reference portion of the index hand by the size of the segment therebetween.

With the above in mind, other objects of the present invention are to provide a simple mechanism for detain ing the index hand; to provide for continuous movement of the other hand; to provide for automatic release of the index hand after the moving hand has reached the next hour position; and to provide for storing energy to effect shifting of the index hand to its next position.

It is a further object of the invention to indicate time by means of beams of light, one of which is used as an index beam to indicate the hour and the other the fraction of the hour elapsed during the indexed hour, whereby a clock of very large size is mechanically practicable.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novelty clock adapted for advertising purposes.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved structure, the preferred 3,022,626 Patented Feb. 27, 1962 forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

MG. 1 is a face view of a clock constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention, and showing the hour indexer and the fractional hour indicator in the form of hands, the index hand being shown at 12 oclock and the fractional hour indicator hand approaching the three-quarter hour, for example, 12:45.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary portion of the face side of the clock and showing the hands superimposed to indicate the one hour position of 1 oclock.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the fractional hour indicator hand approaching the quarter hour after 1 oclock.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section through the dial portion of the clock taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, and showing the clock works which actuates the hands in side elevation.

FIG. 5 is a face side of a modified form of clock whereby the hour is indexed by a beam of light, indicating 12 oclock.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the face Side of the clock in FIG. 5 and showing the fractional hour indicating beam passing the quarter hour after the indexed hour of 12 oclock.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the beam control elements in the clock of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged section through the clock on the line 8-3 of FIG. 5 and showing the clock works in elevation.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section showing the detent for retaining the hour indexing beam control element and the lever ofthe fractional hour indicating beam element in position for releasing the detent when the fractional hour indicating beam has reached the next hour position.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and first to the form of invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive:

1 designates a clock constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention, and which includes a dial 2, a clock works 3, an hour index hand 4, and a fractional hour indicating hand 5. The clock works 3 may comprise a motor 6, which may be spring or electrically operated, to drive a shaft 7 one revolution every twelve hours, as in the case of a standard clock. The specific type of clock works and mounting thereof relative to the dial form no part of the present invention, as any type of clock works may be used and mounted in any suitable manner, depending upon the character and style of clock to which the invention is to be incorporated. In the illustrated instance, the dial 2 comprises a plate 8 having circular series of divisions 9 designated by the numerals 1 to 12 to indicate a 12-hour period, the numeral being indicated as at 10. The divisions are indicated by principal marks 11, and each division is divided into fractions of an hour, as represented by the secondary marks 12. In the illustrated instance, the

' divisions are divided into quarters to indicate, respectively, one-quarter, half and three-quarter periods after a preceding hour mark 11. The motor 6 is shown in the drawings as an electric motor supplied with current through conductors 13 and 14 that may be connected with a suitable source of current supply. The clock works may be mounted on the rear of the dial 2, and the driven shaft 7 thereof projects through a central opening 15 of the dial to carry the hands 4 and 5 thereon. The index hand 4 preferably has a sleeve-like hub 16 that is loosely carried on the shaft 7 to provide a stable support for the hand 4 as it projects radially over the dial 2 and terminates in a point to provide a reference portion 17 over the hour marks 11. The hand 5 is fixed to the shaft 7 in outwardly spaced relation with respect to the index hand 4 and is adapted to turn with the shaft 7. Also sleeved over the shaft between the hands 4 and 5 is a coil spring 18 having ends 19 and 20 arranged to engage, respectively, in openings 21 and 22 of the respective hands, as shown in FIG. 4, whereby when the hand 5 is turned and the hand 4 is held stationary, the spring 18 is tightened about the shaft while the hand 5 is moving from one hour position 11. toward the next, to store up and provide the action necessary to move the hand i from one hour position 11' to the next when the hand 4- is released, as now to be described.

in order to detain the hand 4 at the hour positions, the dial has a circular series of stops which may be provided by depressions 23, or the equivalent, to be engaged by a tooth 24 on the end of a resilient arm or detent 25 that may be connected with the hand 4 on the trailing side thereof. The stops 23 are of a number correspond ing to the hours 11 on the dial, and when the point 17 of the hand 4 is at any one of the hour positions 11 on the dial, the tooth 24 is engaged with one of the stops 23 to hold the hand in stationary position to effect anchorage of the end Ztl of the spring 18. Therefore, as the hand 5 continues its movement, the spring 18 winds on the shaft 7 to store up action necessary to move the index hand 4 when the hand 5 has reached the next hour position. The release of the detent tooth 24 is elfected, in the illustrated instance, by means of an arm 26 that is fixed to and extends radially from the hand 5 and which extends to the dial for engaging under a cam portion 27 on the arm 25 to lift the tooth 24 from the stop 23 by the time the point or reference portion 28 of the hand 5 has reached the next hour position 11. Upon release of the hand 4, the action stored in the spring 18 is sufficient to snap the hand 4 to the next hour position, at which the tooth 24 of the arm 25 engages the next stop 23 corresponding to the next hour position. On thus releasing the hand 4, the hands are in position so that the points or reference portions 17 and 28 thereof register with the next hour position, indicating 1 oclock (FIG. 2). During this movement, the cam end 27 of the arm 25 moves away from the release arm 26. Movement of the hand 4 unloads the spring 18, but as the hand 5 continues its movement, the spring "i8 begins to retension to store up the action necessary for shifting the index hand 4 to the next hour position 11 upon release of the tooth 24 of the detent 25 by contact of the arm 26 with the cam end 27 of the detent 25 at the time the fraction of an hour hand 5 has reached the 2 oclock position, whereupon the hands again register to indicate the time of 2 oclock. As the hand 5 approaches the first of the division marks, the time is a quarter hour or fifteen minutes after 2 oclock, and so on until the hand 5 has reached 3 oclock, whereupon the time is 3 oclock and the index hand 4 is released to start another cycle of operation.

In the form of invention shown in FIG. 5, the dial 2 corresponds with the dial of the first form of the invention and includes the corresponding hour marks 11 and fractional hour markings 12. In this form of the invention, beams of light 29 and 30 are substituted for the hands 4 and 5, the beams of light being controlled by elements 31 and 32, as now to be described.

The element 31 is to control the light beam which provides the index, and includes a cup-shaped shield 33 having a cylindrical wall 34 extending circumferentially of a disk 35 which is loosely positioned on the shaft 7 similarly to the hand 4 previously described. The element 32 includes an arm 36 that is fixed to the outer end of the shaft '7 to rotate therewith about the face of the dial, the arm 36 and shaft making one revolution in each twelve-hour period, as the hand 5. The arm 36 carries a transparent panel 37 that is adapted to move about the inner face of the wall 3 2- to cover a slot-like opening 38 in the wall. Positioned on the shaft 7 between the disk 35 and the arm 36 is a coil spring 39 corresponding to the spring 18 previously described, and which has terminals 46 and 41 that engage in the openings 42 and 43 eases in the arm 36 and disk 35, respectively, whereby when the arm 36 is rotated and the disk 35 is held stationary, the spring 39 is tensioned about the shaft 7. The disk 35 is held in its stationary positions by a detent 44 that is fixed thereto and which has a tooth 4-5 engaging the circular series of recesses 23 in the face of the dial 2. The arm 36 is preferably attached to a hub 47 that is fixed to the shaft 7 and which carries a radially extending arm or lever 48 that is adapted to engage a cam portion 59 on the trailing end of the detent 44 to lift the tooth 45 of the detent out of the notch 23 to shift the main beam of ligh between the next hour positions, as later described. The control elements 31 and 32 just described are covered by a canopy 5% that is supported in outwardly spaced relation over the face of the dial on posts 51, whereby the control elements are free to move thereunder to direct or cast a light beam from a light source such as an electric lamp 52 (FIG. 8) that is carried by a socket 53 depending from the center of the shield and supporting the light bulb 52 in position whereby a beam of light is directed through the slot-like opening 38 in the wall 33, the width of the opening 38 being such as to cast a beam of light having a width correspond ing to the hour spaces on the dial, as shown in FIG. 5.

The panel 32 is of a coior different from the color or" the light from source 52 to color the beam of light 3%, for example, red, as the panel 37 passes across the slot-like opening, and whereby the forward edge of the beam 30 indicates the time elapsed after the main beam of light has shifted between the hour positions, for example, the position between 12 and 1 oclock as indicated in PEG. 5. As the panel 37 is rotated to traverse the opening 38, the colored beam of light 35? moves from the 12 oclock position toward the 1 oclock position and the forward edge thereof indicates in any one position thereof the fraction of an hour past 12 oclock. By the time the forward edge of the colored light beam reaches the 1 oclock mark, the release arm 43 has engaged the cam 49 of the detent 44 to lift the tooth 45 of the detent out of the notch or stop 23 which is then engaged by the tooth 45, whereupon the spring 39 is eitective to turn the element 31 until the notch 38 registers with the space between 1 and 2 on the dial and a portion of the wall 34 on the trailing side of the notch 3 covers the panel 37 so that the beam of light 29 spreads across the space between the 1 and 2 oclock positions, indicating that the time is 1 oclock. When the light beam is in position between the hour marks, the tooth 45 on the detent 44 engages the notch 23 corresponding to the 2 oclock mark on the dial to stop and hold the element 31 as the panel 37 of the element 32 moves across the slot 38 to indicate the time elapsed after 1 oclock. When the forward side of the beam 30 reaches the 1 oclock position, the arm 48 engages the cam 49 of the detent 44 to release the element 31, whereupon the spring 39 rotates the element 31 to the next hour position, and therefore projects the main beam of light 29 across the space between the 1 oclock and 2 oclock designations on the dial, and as the colored beam 3t) again becomes visible, the time is indicated thereby in fractions of an hour after 1 oclock.

From tl e foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a novelty clock wherein each hour in designated by an indexer or indicator that traverses the same course over a single dial with the indexer moving step by step while the indicator is in continuous movement. In the first described form of the invention the indicator is a hand 4 and in the second described form a beam of light 29, and the fractional hour positions which elapse between one and the next hour are indicated by the hand 5 in the first described form of the invention and the colored beam of light 3% in the last described form of the invention. In this way, an observer of the clock reads time by a designated hour and whatever fraction of an hour has elapsed merely by noting the space segment between the hands or the relative widths of the beams of light 29 and 30. In other words, the time can be determined all absence within the space between the designated hour and the following hour mark on the dial.

What I claim and desire to-secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A clock, including a circular dial completely exposed to view throughout the circumference thereof, index means for indicating the hour of the day on said dial, indicating means for indicating the fractions of an hour on the dial elapsed after the hour indicated by said index means, means for mounting said index means and said indicating means coaxially of the dial, means for continuously advancing the fraction of an hour indicating means over the dial one revolution every twelve hours, means for detaining the index means at the position of the indicated hour while the fractional hour indicating means is advancing over said dial to the next succeeding hour on the dial, and means for advancing the index means from the indicated hour designation to said next succeeding hour designation at the time the fractional hour indicating means arrives at the said next succeeding hour.

2. A clock, including a dial provided with hour and intermediate fractional hour designations in a full circular series and completely exposed to view throughout the entire circular series of designations, index means for indicating the hour of the day on the dial, indicating means for indicating the fractions of an hour elapsed after the hour indicated by said index means, means for mounting said index means and said indicating means coaxially of the dial, means for continuously advancing the fraction of an hour indicating means around the dial one revolution in the time corresponding to the sum of the hour designations, means for detaining the index means at the position of the indicated hour while the fractional hour indicating means is advancing over said dial to the next succeeding hour designation on the dial, and means for advancing the index means from the indicated hour on the dial to said next succeeding hour at the time the fractional hour indicating means arrives at the said next succeeding hour.

3. A clock, including a dial provided with hour and intermediate fractional hour designations in a full circular series and completely exposed to view throughout the entire circular series of designations, index means for indicating the hour of the day on the dial, indicating means for indicating the fractions of an hour elapsed after the hour indicated by said index means, means for mounting said index means and said indicating means coaxially of the dial, means for continuously advancing the fraction of an hour indicating means around the dial one revolution in the time corresponding to the sum of the hour designations, means for detaining the index means at the position of the indicated hour while the fractional hour indicating means is advancing over said dial to the next succeeding hour designation on the dial, means movable with the fractional hour indicating means for tripping said detaining means, and spring means connecting the index means with the fractional hour indicating means for advancing the index means from the indicated hour of the dial to said next succeeding hour after tripping of the detaining means at the time the fractional hour indicating means arrives at the said next succeeding hour.

4. A clock, including a dial provided with hour and intermediate fractional hour designations in a full circular series and completely exposed to view throughout the entire full circular series of designations, stops corresponding to the hour designations, index means for indicating the hour of the day on the dial, indicating means for indicating the fractions of an hour elapsed after the hour indicated by said index means, means for mounting said index means and said indicating means coaxially of the dial, means for continuously advancing the fraction of an hour indicating means around the dial one revolution in the time corresponding to the sum of the hour designations, a detent on the index means for engaging one of the stops for holding the index means at the position of the indicated hour While the fractional hour indicating means is advancing over said dial to the next succeeding hour designation on the dial, release means carried by the fractional hour indicating means and movable in the path of the detent for releasing the detent, and a spring having one end connected with the fractional hour indicating means and the other end connected with the index means and tensioned responsive to movement of the fractional hour indicating means for advancing the index means from the indicated hour on the dial to said next succeeding hour at the time the fractional hour indicating means arrives at the said next succeeding hour.

5. A clock, including a dial provided with hour and intermediate fractional hour designations in a full circular series and completely exposed to view throughout the entire circular series of designations, a shield having an annular wall provided with a slot, means supporting the shield for rotation at the axis of the dial with the slot positioned within the radial direction of said designations, a light source in the shield for casting a beam of light through the slot for indicating the hour of the day on the dial, a transparent panel, means for supporting the panel for movement across the slot for coloring the beam of light for indicating the fractions of an hour elapsed during the hour indicated by said beam of light, means for continuously advancing the panel around the wall of the shield one revolution in the time corresponding to the sum of the hour designations, means for detaining the shield at the position of the indicated hour while the panel is moving over said slot, and means for advancing the shield from said detained position to indicate the next succeeding hour at the time the panel has completely traversed the slot.

6. A clock, including a dial provided with hour and intermediate fractional hour designations in a full circular series and completely exposed to view throughout the entire circular series of designations, a shield having an annular wall provided with a slot, means supporting the shield for rotation at the axis of the dial with the slot positioned within the radial directions of said designations, a light source in the shield for casting a beam of light through the slot for indicating the hour of the day on the dial, a transparent panel, means for supporting the panel for movement across the slot for coloring the beam of light for indicating the fractions of an hour elapsed during the hour indicated by said beam of light, means for continuously advancing the panel around the wall of the shield one revolution in the time corresponding to the sum of the hour designations, a circular series of stops corresponding to the hour designations, a detent carried by the shield for successively engaging the stops for detaining the shield with the slot at the position of the indicated hour while the panel is moving over said slot toward the next succeeding hour designation on the dial, a detent release means movable with said panel and engageable with the detent to release the shield, and a spring connecting the shield with the panel supporting means for advancing the shield from said detained position to indicate the next succeeding hour at the time the panel has traversed the slot.

7. A clock as described in claim 1, wherein the said fractional hour indicating means and said hour index means each include a hand movable over the dial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,387 Long Feb. 25, 1896 1,774,579 White Sept. 2, 1930 1,851,982 Parker Apr. 5, 1932 2,011,517 Geotfrion Aug. 13, 1935 2,310,900 Mayer Feb. 9, 1943 

